Summary John Kerry was bound for Europe ahead of crunch nuclear talks between international powers and Iran.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry was bound for Europe on Monday ahead of crunch talks between international powers and Iran on that country s controversial nuclear program.
Shortly before departing for London, where he will consult with European counterparts Tuesday, Kerry acknowledged the vital nature of the upcoming talks with Tehran ahead of a November 24 deadline to reach agreement on its nuclear drive.
"We are obviously entering a key period with the negotiations regarding Iran s nuclear program, and I will go to Vienna at the appropriate moment," Kerry said at a Washington forum, referring to the negotiations due later this week in the Austrian capital.
The UN Security Council s five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany will negotiate with Tehran on a complex comprehensive agreement that Washington hopes will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability.
Iran s leaders insist its nuclear push serves purely civilian purposes such as energy, but many in the West fear Tehran is seeking an atomic bomb.
Republicans, who will soon control both chambers of the US Congress after elections earlier this month, have been infuriated by the tentative rapprochement of President Barack Obama, a Democrat, toward Iran.
They warn Obama is being fooled by the new, more moderate face of the Islamic republic, which aims to win billions of dollars in sanctions relief and will still covertly seek to develop a nuclear weapon.
